The move was reported by Reuters and others a few weeks ago, but Yandex had declined to confirm that it was working on its own browser up until today.

It comes a few months after we reported that Yandex had been ousted from the default search option spot in the latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox browser, in favor of Google. Obviously, Google Chrome also searches Google by default.

Yandex’s browser, which is simply dubbed Yandex Browser, uses the WebKit engine, which of course also powers the Apple Safari and Google Chrome browsers. Furthermore, Yandex says its new browser is based on the open-source Chromium code. And it doesn’t end there:

The Yandex browser platform has through a technological partnership with a key long term partner been expanded to incorporate Opera Software’s Turbo technology, which allows to boost the browser’s page loading capacity even with a slow connection. The Turbo mode will be included in the next browser release.

The browser supports Windows and Mac OS, and it’s safe to assume it will soon be extended to mobile platforms as well.

The company says its cloud-based “safe browsing technology”, together with Kaspersky Lab’s security solution, will safeguard users by warning them about potentially malicious websites.

Strangely, the Yandex browser isn’t available for download just yet, despite the announcement. It will be available in about 5 hours from now at the time of publication (at 17:00 Moscow time to be more precise).

A browser and a search engine are not the only weapons Yandex employs in the battle against Google and others, we should note.